ABSTRACT
Perhaps, as many information designers, you conduct “informal” studies to validate concept ideas, or evaluate designs in progress among the members of your team, colleagues, or friends, by asking their thoughts on a design you are working on; this is a good starting point. However, these suggestions, even if useful, don’t offer a rigorous or credible way to measure the effectiveness of a design or how an intended audience would use those designs in their context of use. In other words, insights from friends or colleagues can’t be used as evidence in a meeting with a client or stakeholders. Furthermore, these insights don’t represent the actual intended audience’s feelings and points of view about the designs.
